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Electrode Implant Gives Mute Man a (Synthesized) Voice

Posted by timothy on from the paradoxically-enough dept.

Iddo Genuth writes with an excerpt from The Future of Things: "A surgical procedure performed by a team from Boston University, Massachusetts led by Professor Frank Guenther, has enabled a mute man to speak again. An electrode implanted in the patient's brain made it possible for the patient to produce vowels by thinking them, using a speech synthesizer. In the future, this breakthrough may help patients with similar injuries produce entire sentences, using signals from their brains."

58 comments

  1. Using your brain to talk ... by zindorsky · · Score: 5, Funny

    Using your brain to talk ... just imagine what that would mean for Slashdot! Total upheaval.

    --
    If the geiger counter does not click, the coffee, she is not thick.
    1. Re:Using your brain to talk ... by Your.Master · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or complete silence.

    2. Re:Using your brain to talk ... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

      If I involuntarily said whatever I was thinking, my girlfriend would never stop slapping me.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    3. Re:Using your brain to talk ... by rudeboy1 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think my girlfriend would forgive me, but I'm pretty sure I'd find myself out of a job, in a dozen harrassment suits, and pepper-sprayed blind, and that's just by the end of the week.

      --
      Raging in an online forum won't do anything for the world around you. To see change, you must take action.
    4. Re:Using your brain to talk ... by djupedal · · Score: 1

      I think....therefore, I am.

  2. Keep going by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Eventually you might get to a direct brain-computer interface that healthy people (like me) will want to get installed.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
    1. Re:Keep going by fractoid · · Score: 1

      I'm hoping so! I for one can't wait to get a new set of corneas, ones that give me normal or better vision without contacts and that I can use to check my email while I'm driving to work... ok maybe that last bit isn't such a good plan.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    2. Re:Keep going by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

      I've asked this question of many people, and I usually get about the same response:

      At what risk factor would you be willing to undertake replacement of your eye(s) with cybernetic equivalent(s)? Even with improved capabilities in the new eye(s) such as information display, some minor microscope/telescope functionality, etc, how much risk would you be willing to accept, if the risk included never being able to see again?

      For most people to whom I pose this question, the odds of failure have to be extraordinarily long for people to consider doing it voluntarily to healthy eyes. Only one person has ever said as low as one in one hundred chance of failure. Most people settle in at about one in one million, and many say that they simply will not accept it at all. Vision is so central to our lives that most people would rather lose almost all other functionality before losing vision.

      Personally, I might do one eye at around one in ten thousand, but even then, it would be after probably months of consideration.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    3. Re:Keep going by QuantumG · · Score: 1

      I was more thinking of having extra senses added. No need to remove my healthy eyes, just give me a piggyback link to the visual cortex and I can hook into any camera on the market.. or virtual world. Same for output.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    4. Re:Keep going by Merls+the+Sneaky · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I am technically blind in my right eye due to a congenital defect in my lens. I lack sterioscopic vision. My right eye is extremely long sigted, so my brain ignores the input. If i close my left eye input is recieved but it of very poor quality. My left eye is better than 20/20. I would be willing to try out any cybernetic implants that would restore funtionality to my right eye. I would also have perfect vision with which to compare the effectivness with.

      I would like low light and infrared vision, as well as repaired normal light vision installed. One eye, is basically 0 risk to my my existing vision.

    5. Re:Keep going by raynet · · Score: 1

      There is always the risk of the doctor installing the device to your good eye and failing.

      --
      - Raynet --> .
    6. Re:Keep going by Devout_IPUite · · Score: 1

      At the level where they can do cyber-eyes, likely they could redo a flub. So I think for me it's really a price point, not a risk point. I'd spring for thermal at about $200 today.

      Yeah...

      I'm going to be waiting a LONG time.

  3. I am an optimist... I hope! by duckInferno · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Losing your voice would suck.

    But having a synthesised voice on the other hand, is way cool.

    You could go around quoting robotic things like "would-you-like-to-play-a-game-[?]", or configure yourself to sound like GLADDoS or that machine thing from robo cop.

    Or Microsoft Sam.

    Of all the disabilities this would be the most "Ohhh... well.. huh. Guess that's kind of cool".
    I'm serious.

    --
    Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it -- I'm huge!
    1. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by Roland+Piquepaille · · Score: 1

      Losing your voice would suck. But having a synthesised voice on the other hand, is way cool. You could go around quoting robotic things like "would-you-like-to-play-a-game-[?]"

      or you could start a career as a stephen Hawking impersonator.

    2. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by mikael · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Modern voice synthesizers have very realistic sounding voices now . That was one problem Steven Hawking found out - his voice synthesizer wore out after a good few years. Much to his annoyance, the modern synthesizers were too human-like and really took away part of his character. I believe he had to go to one of the electronic components surplus stores to get his voice "repaired".

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    3. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by phorm · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I dunno. Losing an eye and having it replaced (in the future) with a bionic implant having telescoping vision and infrared would beat a synthesized voice... although I'd imagine that if you could tweak your own software to produce any voice you want it could be fun.

      Of course, at this point neither of these technologies are quite so well developed yet.

    4. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by duckInferno · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Duck, could you please make dinner tonight?"
      "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave."

      --
      Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it -- I'm huge!
    5. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by SirLurksAlot · · Score: 3, Funny

      You could go around quoting robotic things like "would-you-like-to-play-a-game-[?]", or configure yourself to sound like GLADDoS or that machine thing from robo cop.

      Oh yeah, I can't wait to make myself sound like a [growling tiger|squealing pig] when I do fall down or aim at someone!

      Heck, if we're talking about giving ourselves robotic voices I want to shout "EXTERMINATE!" in a shrill voice whenever I see a British man with bad teeth, a brown coat, and an outlandishly long and colorful scarf. :-D

      --
      God, schmod. I want my monkey man!
    6. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by duckInferno · · Score: 3, Funny

      You could have macros too, of course; predefined wave files you could play whenever you want. You'd be a meatspace ventrilo harasser.

      --
      Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it -- I'm huge!
    7. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by dosius · · Score: 2

      I'd like to have a bionic eye replace my screwy left eye which won't focus properly. *.*

      -uso.

      --
      What you hear in the ear, preach from the rooftop Matthew 10.27b
    8. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by coolsnowmen · · Score: 4, Informative

      There is no way Stephen Hawking had to go to a surplus store to get a Centrino Pentium M, running XP, made by Intel for him repaired.

      And the software "Equalizer" was ported to XP for him.

      In short, I call BS.

    9. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by biocute · · Score: 1

      growling tiger|squealing pig

      Is it a movie sequel?

      --
      Virtual Betting on Facebook for non-geeks.
    10. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by nategoose · · Score: 1

      Or Clippy!

    11. Re:I am an optimist... I hope! by danieltdp · · Score: 1

      And now he hast to get a Vista version. That sound really bad for science!

      --
      -- dnl
  4. Tourettes syndrome by Culture20 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Damn she's got a nice pair of...
    "Pig!" *SLAP*

    1. Re:Tourettes syndrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      <robotvoice>Damn she's got a nice pair of...</robotvoice>

      "Pig!" *SLAP*

      Exactly. I wonder if it speaks all his thoughts.

  5. Now what about.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    if you have a fear of public speaking? I'm not a doctor, but what happens first, the thought of what you want to say or the fear of saying it in front of people? Along the same lines, what about thoughts becoming verbalized?

    1. Re:Now what about.... by ITEric · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ...what about thoughts becoming verbalized?

      I would imagine it would depend on the part of the brain being used by the device...one would hope that they tap into the part of the brain that has already decided what sounds it would like to make rather than picking up random unfiltered thoughts.

      --
      The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...
  6. Oh dear by Roland+Piquepaille · · Score: 4, Funny

    [...] made it possible for the patient to produce vowels by thinking them

    I hope the guy isn't welsh...

  7. uh oh by pak9rabid · · Score: 1

    In the future, this breakthrough may help patients with similar injuries produce entire sentences, using signals from their brains."

    Or give rise to the Strogg. I, for one, welcome our new cybernetic overlords.

  8. Small Jump to Telepathy by psnyder · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There's a very small jump from a working version of this to transmitting words from one brain to another, or at least an earpiece.

    Put that in a grant application.

    I'd imagine a number of places (DARPA for example) would certainly be interested in seeing how this research progressed.

    1. Re:Small Jump to Telepathy by icegreentea · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Or you can make it even more insane and transmit not just to an earpiece but to a cochlear implants. And not just any cochlear implants, but one of those newer experimental ones which are totally internal. No external pieces at all. Upon a casual examination, it really would seem like telepathy.

      On another note, does anyone know if the speech production areas of the brain overlap with those with sub vocalization, or mouthing words? Just curious.

    2. Re:Small Jump to Telepathy by nanostuff · · Score: 1

      The limitation here is interpreted accentuations and generally being restricted to having words come out, but having no control over how they come out. Don't even think about singing. Interfacing with the vagus nerve through a laryngeal simulator would translate muscle intentions into sound rather than words into sound. I saw a fairly impressive simulator of the human vocal tract a while back, and a demonstration of EEG devices on the neck. This is the holy grail of voice restoration/synthesis.

    3. Re:Small Jump to Telepathy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are people who can sign while they're speaking. That implies that there is a common, shared area in the brain responsible. It would be interesting to see what happens if they mispronounce a word. Would they need to re-sign that word too?

  9. Do You Feel Like We Do by devotedlhasa · · Score: 5, Funny

    Easier to sing those Peter Frampton songs...

  10. Re:christians don't allow this by Arcane_Rhino · · Score: 2, Funny
    I find your lack of faith disturbing...

    Yessiree, Darth Vader is the voice I'M pickin!

  11. Interesting by d3l33t · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Is it possible this technology could be applied in reverse? Using electrode implants to imprint the sound of a vowel in a persons mind?

    1. Re:Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, you just reverse the polarity of the flux capacitator.
      But I believe cochlear implants were already mentioned, so look them up. You couldn't really call it the same as this technology except in the very loosest sense of taking electrical circuits and nerves and making one influence the other, though.

  12. Steven hawking should get one so he can talk faste by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 1

    Steven hawking should get one so he can talk faster

  13. In completely unrelated news... by pwnies · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...the group "Daft Punk" announced today that they had hired on a lead singer. That and the weather at 10.

    1. Re:In completely unrelated news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *giggle*

      I wish I had mod points

  14. Your voice is pwed by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1

    Keep away from script kiddies.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  15. Now, one can TALK TO GOD at a MILLION 8 by davidsyes · · Score: 1

    BAUD.

    Imagine being a one-throat Paul Hardcastle, being 25 instruments at once. That could almost be the Borq Queen, except the vocal cords could span space, time, and reach out to beings such as dogs.

    If he goes hunting, he could "talk dog" while on the move. "Rrrrr... Cut 'em off to the left, Tigger!"

    "RRRR-Roger That. Roof!"

    But, Christmas carolling could be quite interesting if an ensemble of such-equipped singers got "jacked" into morphing the Little Drummer Boy to the Little Humpmer Boy "I want you to Hummmmp me til i cu cu cu cu. BEAT on my BUM... Pee on my Drumm..." Or, make "Oh, yah, weeee" emit.

    It's reminding me of the 51 line bus in Alameda, where the androgynous voice (sounds almost like one of the Talosians) announces, "Ahprohching Fiifth and Brawdway"... Hell, that announcing voice ought to be on MUNI in San Fransideshow. It would tickle the tourists someting fierce.

    Now, match that up with the Granny Gun/Palm Pistol:

    http://gizmodo.com/5069173/palm-pistol-grandma-is-going-on-a-toodle-shootin-rampage

    And the AARP will be in conniption fits, if the thing automatically calls Medic Alert with: "Help, I've mistaken my Palm Pistol for my insulin injector," or, with, "Help, this thing is really an enigmatic enema..."

    --
    Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
  16. I am going to order the Patrick Stewart chip by infonography · · Score: 1

    Just think you tell anyone Resistance is futile. (but your still not getting to Second Base)

    --
    Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
  17. Animals!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The most profound use of such technology would surely be to give animals the chance to express themselves to us humans. At the moment we are limited to "talking" to only apes and parrots simply because they happen to be able to express themselves in a way that we humans can easily understand. Also, like the kid who starts to shine once they find the subject they're interested in, self expression could really give some animals an incentive to start acting more "human". Dogs and cats would obviously be amongst the first experiments. Personally, I want to hear what an octopus or dolphin has to say.

  18. Re:christians don't allow this by hachi-control · · Score: 1

    Three words. One incorrectly spelt, two with incorrect grammar. You have a 100% fail rate.

  19. Bah. Irrelevant. by jesdynf · · Score: 1

    Vowels are worth nothing.

    Consonants are worth $500.

    --
    Yahoo! Pipes are awesome. How awesome? http://pipes.yahoo.com/jesdynf/slashdot
    1. Re:Bah. Irrelevant. by clone53421 · · Score: 1

      No kidding... "enabled a mute man to speak again"? TFA has a very generous idea of "speaking".

      A, A, E, I. O U, E I O U. E I E I O.

      Hmm, I think I have a talent for this. I should write a novel.

      --
      Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
  20. Re:christians don't allow this by Hellpop · · Score: 1

    Spelt??

    I hope you are trying to be funny.

    --
    "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything."
  21. Re:christians don't allow this by clone53421 · · Score: 1

    spelt

    chiefly British past and past participle of SPELL

    --
    Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
  22. What I really want to know is.. by StikyPad · · Score: 1

    Can mute people whisper?

    --
    https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
  23. When asked for comment by Dachannien · · Score: 1

    When asked for comment, Gunther's patient responded simply, "AAAIIEIIEUUUOOOEEEEIIIAAAAEEEE!!!"

  24. Apes by lrrosa · · Score: 1

    Am I the only one thinking about possible use in monkeys?

  25. We need a new tag. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cyberbrain

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_Shell_Syndrome

  26. Breaking news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mute man sings chorus to "Old MacDonald" with cybernetic voice. Story at 11.